


Moving Forward

by SakuraNamida



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11595126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraNamida/pseuds/SakuraNamida
Summary: Oliver Davis was many things - paranormal researcher, qi-gong expert, world-famous psychokenisis user - but he drew the line at babysitter.  Luella Davis has plans for her son and his friends.  Read on to see what kind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Welcome to my personal take on Ghost Hunt. I try very hard to make my writing as neat and readable as possible, so if you ever see a mistake or something that seems wrong to you, please don't hesitate to let me know. I promise I will fix it. I've been gobbling up Ghost Hunt fanfiction this week just about as much as I've been gobbling up turkey, and tonight I was inspired to add my own take on the story into the mix. Please feel free to leave me a review. In particular, I'd like to know what everyone thinks about my characterization? Am I doing okay...or does everyone seem completely out of character? All feedback helps, so thanks in advance! Also, this is a part of a much larger story, and although I have vague ideas about where I want it to go, this is all I have written so far. I'm often quite busy, so updating will likely be sporadic, but I am going to do my best to be reasonable about them.**

**Disclaimer: Now. I am ONLY going to say this once. I do NOT own Ghost Hunt or anything even remotely related to it. Believe me, I wish I did.**

**And without further ado, please enjoy:**

Chapter 1

Oliver Davis was many things – paranormal researcher, qi-gong expert, world-famous psychokinesis user – but he drew the line at _babysitter_.

It was all Lin's fault, too. Lin, who'd gone and told his parents all about his time in Japan, including all about his perky brunette assistant. That had been the catalyst. The glimmer he'd seen in his mother's eyes when she'd realized that maybe her son had a heart after all. He'd known right then that it would spell trouble, and he hadn't been disappointed.

His mother had spent ages trying to set him up with every available female near his age in her acquaintance (no doubt in an attempt to inspire some form of social interest in him). And when that had failed…well, she'd resorted to _other_ tactics. She'd caged him into an entirely unpleasant dinner with one of the new researchers at SPR. That had ended quickly. He hadn't even sat down, in fact, preferring to turn around and walk right out of the restaurant. And now, apparently, they were here.

"It'd just be for a few hours, Noll!" She pleaded. Luella Martin was a damn good persuader (she had persuaded her work-a-holic husband to marry her, after all, and she'd managed to get Noll to like her), but sometimes her adopted son behaved like a brick wall.

"No." Noll answered flatly. He saw his mother's proposal for what it was. She'd started out with an admittedly luring possibility – a new case – and then informed him that in order to go on said case, he'd have to also mind the client's ten year old child. Noll didn't do children, and his mother knew that, but she also knew how frustrated he had become since he'd been banned from going on any cases since he and Lin had returned from Japan. The rage had been building for the better part of a year and a half now, and it was getting to the point where he knew he'd blow a top soon. He was so tired of not being out in the field that he _almost_ considered her terrible offer, catch and all.

And his mother could sense his moods. He knew she saw the hesitation on his face. He couldn't do it though. Oliver Davis did not do children. "I have work to do." He hissed, rising from the breakfast table in favor of his study.

* * *

Luella gave an exasperated huff of annoyance as her son stalked out of the room. She was running out of ideas. Ever since Noll had come back from Japan, after the funeral, he'd been…depressed. He'd secluded himself further away and hardly interacted with anyone outside of his immediate family or close colleagues. He'd never been a social butterfly, but he hadn't been this bad, either. She was growing worried for her son. She'd already lost one child, she couldn't bear to lose another.

Of course, she'd known Noll would _never_ agree to babysit someone's child. That was so far beyond his scope of knowledge it was laughable. She'd just needed him to react…some hint that he wanted a family, a life outside of his work. To all eyes but hers, he clearly didn't. They'd all told her as much. Martin, Lin, Noll himself, even Madoka had made it plain that she thought Oliver Davis would only ever rely on his work. But Luella was a psychologist by trade and knew that such isolation, particularly after Gene's death, was unhealthy.

When they'd returned from Japan and Madoka and Lin had filled her in on all of the people they'd worked on cases with – including the (according to _both_ Lin and Madoka) "quite charming" Mai Taniyama, well, she'd begun to hope that maybe they were all wrong. Thus her quest had begun.

"I warned you, Luella." Madoka sighed, coming into the room and settling into the chair beside Noll's adopted mother.

"Yes," Luella agreed tiredly, "You did. I just thought if I threw him a chance at a case, he'd at least consider it."

Madoka nodded in understanding. "It was a good try. I'm sad to see him so…reclusive. He was so much more open, in Japan."

Luella sighed. She'd give anything to see her son like that. "I wish I could help him." She told the younger woman.

Madoka patted her arm comfortingly. "I think you'd have to send him to Japan to accomplish that." The younger woman replied sadly. They both knew that would never happen. Oliver Davis had a life in Britain, a life he'd left when he'd gone rushing off to Japan, and it wasn't something he could just drop, no matter how badly the young man might want to. He'd done it once, and he was still suffering the consequences of those actions even now. His case-ban and regulated schedule being only a small taste of them.

Luella looked out the window. She gazed out at the garden, looking at the Cherry tree. And then the idea struck her. "Madoka!" She breathed, excited. Yes. She had a plan now. Something that even Noll couldn't refuse. But she couldn't do it all on her own.

The younger woman looked at her in shocked amusement. She raised a single eyebrow, a gesture she'd obviously learned from her boyfriend. "What is it?" She asked.

"I have an idea!" Luella said, smiling mischievously. "Can you get a hold of Lin for me?" The question was, of course, rhetorical. Madoka laughed and pulled out her phone, pressing the speed dial button for her boyfriend.

Noll sat in his chair behind his desk, an open book before him, but his eyes not comprehending the words on the page. A cup of tea sat steaming on a coaster beside him, but he ignored it. For some reason his favorite beverage had become much less delicious lately. He tried not to dwell too hard on why that might be.

A strange, and difficult, proposition for a scientist such as himself. Answering questions was what he lived for. Practically literally. But he always shied away from asking too many questions when it came to his own moods, especially lately. He'd known that things would be different, now that he was back. With Gene gone, how could they not be? But he hadn't anticipated this.

Most unsettling of all, he knew that much of what was bothering him had nothing at all to do with his twin, and more to do with an (admittedly pretty) brunette he'd left back in Japan. He stopped himself right there. Oliver Davis was _not_ interested in romance, relationships or anything of that nature. He didn't miss Mai, he decided. He just missed her tea.

If he allowed himself to think about it any further he often realized he missed them all. Takigawa, Miss Matsuzaki, Miss Hara, Father Brown. Even Yasuhara. He'd hated all of their goofing off and ridiculous antics, but now that he was back here…he found that he missed it.

Oliver grabbed his teacup and drained the hot and bitter liquid in a single gulp. He picked up his book and returned to the invigorating subject matter it offered. Time to stop living in the past and focus on the present, he decided.

* * *

As the temperature in the room plummeted, Mai Taniyama knew what she was in for. She turned around slowly and faced the angry apparition before her. "Please! Mr. Takanada! We're here to help you pass on." It was pointless, pleading with a hostile spirit like this. And she knew that, but she also knew what came next, and she hated going to that option if she could in any way avoid it.

The chair in the corner of the room rose a foot off of the floor, as did many of the other pieces of furniture in the room. Purely on instinct, Mai ducked. She managed to avoid most of the heavy objects that floated around, but several of the lighter objects ended up landing _on_ her, adding a nice group of bruises to her ever-growing collection.

"Mai!" She heard Bou-san yell from the other side of the door.

"I'm alright!" She shouted back. Well…alright-ish. She still had an angry spirit to deal with. "Your brother wasn't the one who killed you, Mr. Takanada!" She shouted. Abruptly the room went still. She waited a breath, just to be sure, and then rose slowly to her knees. The spirit of Mr. Takanada – a long-deceased doctor – stood and stared, evidently waiting for an explanation.

"The fire was an accident!" She explained gently. "Your brother hadn't realized you were in there, or he never would have started it! He assumed you were back at the hotel with your wife!"

"If it was an accident, why did he marry _my wife_ three months later?!" The apparition demanded. The temperature in the room dropped even further.

Mai shivered. "Because she was pregnant with your child!" She told him. "She was pregnant and alone and needed someone to rely on, and he didn't want your child to grow up without a father!"

Even though it was the truth, it wasn't enough to console the malevolent spirit. The door to the room splintered apart and Bou-san and John rushed in, chanting until the spirit of Mr. Takanada dissipated.

"I'm fine." She assured both anxious men as they came rushing over to her.

"Let's get you back to base." Bou-san said, carefully helping the young woman to her feet.

Despite her declaration, Mai was anything but fine. She hadn't been able to talk Mr. Takanada into passing on, and this case was dragging on too long. He'd almost killed thirteen people, and four of his victims were still in intensive care. It was time to move to their last resort.

* * *

When he finally returned to his apartment later that night – after one of the most exhausting exorcisms he'd ever been a part of, Houshou Takigawa was floored to find a message on his answering machine…from Lin. But even stranger than that, was the request the onmiyouji made of his former colleague.

The pony-tail wearing monk sank onto the couch and considered what he'd just learned. It was certainly not what he'd expected to hear from Lin…assuming he'd ever hear from Lin again. Takigawa groaned in frustration, and then, giving up, picked up his phone and dialed Ayako.

He remembered belatedly that she was working a double shift at the hospital and wasn't home, so he left her a message explaining the situation and asked her to call him back.

He wanted to call the others too, but he figured he'd get her input first, before they did anything drastic. It amazed him, how much he'd come to rely on the fiery priestess in the last year or so.

When Naru – Oliver, he reminded himself – and Lin had left for England, likely never to return, Takigawa had assumed that their little band of paranormal-hunting misfits would disband and go their separate ways.

Boy was he glad to have been proven wrong. Not even a month after the two men were gone, Mai had come to him with the thrilling idea of continuing their paranormal activities. They'd had to move offices, of course, and they'd had to convince everyone to stick around until they got the money situation figured out, but it had been surprisingly easy. No one had said a word against it. Ayako had even pitched in with money, and Masako had "lent" them some old equipment that she'd always conveniently "forget" to take back with her. They'd kept the name SPR and thanks to the reputation they'd built up with Naru – Oliver! – and Lin's help, they'd gained even more clients in the year and a half since. Mai worked at the place full-time, plus she was attending university (Ayako's condition for paying into their new business) and everyone else was there when they were available. Which, he realized, turned out to be quite often. The cases where someone was unavailable were actually quite rare. As were the cases where someone didn't end up hurt (usually it was Mai).

But, he supposed, that was all part of the job description when it came to their line of work. Still, he worried about Mai these days. She wasn't the same since…Oliver and Lin had left. She'd tried to hide it, but the girl was a terrible liar. Takigawa just wasn't sure what exactly it was that was bothering her. All of them had tried various methods to get her to spill, but nothing had worked, and eventually they'd moved on. But that didn't keep him, or any of the others, from worrying about her.

He sighed and thought again of the strange request his Chinese friend had made. Takigawa paused for a brief second to realize that he had indeed referred to the stoic man as his friend, and that he honestly meant it. He still couldn't believe that message, though. Something must have really changed, for the stoic man to make a request like this. He just hoped that whatever this new situation was, Mai didn't end up on the wrong end of it. Somehow, he had a terrible feeling that she would.

  


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

            It was an orphanage.  Warm and inviting against the winter chill, but it was still a children's home, and the taint of loneliness and abandonment still permeated the place.  His body moved of its own accord, down a narrow hallway and into a lively play room filled to the brim with screaming, rowdy children.  The last place on the planet that Lin Koujo ever wanted to find himself.

            But then his attention drifted to the most unusual sight he’d ever seen, a sight that nearly made his heart stop in his chest.  Sitting quietly in one of the corners of the room was a toddler, reading a book.  It took his mind a moment to register that the boy held a picture book, and that was a small kind of comfort, because the way the boy was positioned…the seriousness in his posture…it didn’t fit the mold of the typical toddler.

            Lin felt untethered to reality in that moment.  He looked at the small boy and noted the similarities to two other young men he knew.  The dark hair, the erect posture.  And then the boy looked up, and Lin felt a shiver of ice run down his back.  Those Sapphire eyes.  Oh, he knew those eyes.

            “Hello, Lin.”  The toddler said pleasantly.

            That comment cinched this as the oddest, most unnerving dream that the onmiyouji had ever experienced.  “Noll?”  He asked, hoping it _was_ all just a dream.

            The child looked at him angrily for a moment, and then shook his head.  It was a disturbingly grown-up gesture.  “No.”  He said simply.

            Lin took several long moments to sort out this bizarre dream.  “But…Naru…Noll, I mean, told me that you’d already moved on.  He assured me he’d felt you pass on not long after we found your body.”

            “I did.”  Eugene Davis confirmed.

            “Gene…how…I don’t understand…”  Lin tried, grasping at some sort of semblance of cohesion.

            “I know.  I’ll explain it all to you one day, but first, I need you to come find me, Lin.  Come find me, and bring me home.”  Gene said, his gentle, child-tone a pleading cry.

            “Bring you home?”  Lin repeated, completely lost.

            “Back to England, of course!”  The child said, laughing.  “Come find me, Lin, please.”  He repeated. 

            And then, to Lin’s utter frustration and disappointment, his dream faded away.  The irritating echoing of his alarm clock entered his senses and he forced himself to sit up in bed.

            “Time to go to the airport?”  Madoka asked sleepily from beside him.

            “Yeah.”  He confirmed, rising to dress.

 

* * *

 

            Oliver entered the dining room for breakfast later that morning and found that he’d been the subject of discussion.  No sooner did he step into the doorway that all conversation in the room abruptly stopped.  He quirked an eyebrow at the three in the room, and walked nonchalantly over to his usual seat.

            “Good morning, dear.”  His mother greeted.  “We were just discussing something we thought you might like to know.”

            Noll raised his eyebrow once more.  Oliver Davis speak for _what?_

            “Your father has agreed to let you go on a case this weekend with Madoka and himself!”  She exclaimed.

            The knot in his stomach, the tension in his whole body let up somewhat.  Finally.  He knew he should be suspicious of whatever it was his mother was planning, but he finally had a chance to go out and _do_ something _useful_.  He wasn’t about to press his luck.

            “What kind of case?”  He asked, feigning disinterest.  Of course everyone in the room (his mother and father and Madoka) all knew that it was an act.  But he did still have a reputation to maintain.

            “Apparently there have been a lot of accidents and an old hotel in Dover.  The place has been completely quiet for the last half a century, and in the last six months it has had hundreds of sightings, four different accidents, and plenty of collateral damage.”  His father replied.  He was like a zookeeper holding out a juicy steak to a hungry tiger. 

            Noll pounced…figuratively.  “I’ll take it.”  He said, after several long minutes.  As soon as he said it, he felt the tension in the room ease up.

            “That’s wonderful, darling!”  His mother enthused.  “But you have to promise me you’ll be careful?”

            He sighed like the teenage he was supposed to be.  “I will, mother.”  She beamed at him. 

            “Well then, best hurry up and get packed.”  His father added.  “I don’t want to lose too much time.”

            “What about Lin?”  Noll asked, curious about the Chinese man’s unusual absence.

            “Oh, Lin had a family emergency and had to fly home for a few days.”  Madoka said, shrugging.  She didn’t seemed very pleased, angry perhaps.  Not that that was a surprise, given how things had gone last time.  Lin’s family had been…unpleasant, when they’d been introduced to her over the last Christmas season.  From what Noll had heard about the matter from Lin…things had gotten quite out of hand, and the couple had had to return to England earlier than they’d planned.

            He finished his breakfast and headed upstairs to pack, thinking over the unusual conversation.  This hadn’t been the first time that conversations ceased when he walked into a room, but it was the first time that he felt a shift in everyone’s mood.  He just couldn’t identify what kind of shift that was.  And then there was everyone’s behavior.  It hadn’t been unusual per say, but there had been something about the whole situation that felt…off somehow.  Frustrated, Oliver returned to his packing and decided to return all of his attention to his first case in better than a year and a half.

 

* * *

 

            “Delivery for SPR?”  The mailman called through the door.  It was Yasu who answered it and took the package the man held.

            “Mai!”  He called, “Your books are here.”

            It was several minutes before Mai exited her office, and Yasu had already begun opening the extraordinarily heavy box.

            He looked at the books inside and gave a low whistle.  It was a lot of material from notable minds.  _The Roots of Coincidence, Learning to use Extra-sensory perception,_ and _Parapsychology:  Frontier Science of the Mind._ All well-known works for anyone interested in the field of parapsychology.  The further he dug into the box the more books he found.  A couple were even by Oliver Davis himself. 

            Yasu set those aside nonchalantly and moved on to other works.  There was no way he was entering into the minefield known as the “Naru” discussion.  Not that Mai had been particularly forthcoming about that subject.  Still, it did make her visibly upset, and they all tended to avoid that.

            “Oh good, they finally came.”  Mai said, walking into the room.  Yasu nodded and continued to sort the books based on subject matter.  They’d go through and sort them all by author later on. 

            In the time since they’d moved into this new office, Mai had undertaken the ambitious task of acquiring as many books about the field of parapsychology and any other relevant or necessary field as she possibly could, and to everyone’s amazement, she was devouring book after book.  When she finished them, she placed them into her own little library in her office.  It had been a small collection at first, a few dozen books.  Today, Yasu was pretty certain she’d surpassed 300 books and academic papers.

            “Thanks, Yasu.”  She said, coming over to inspect their literary loot.  She moved slowly, favoring one of her legs after an injury on their most recent case.

            Yasu waved away her gratitude.  She paid him so well he couldn’t even begin to complain about the small things she asked him to do…other than risking his life on most cases.  It really wasn’t a job for the lighthearted, but Yasu had found himself in it, and he suspected Mai had as well.  Perhaps they all had, even if they didn’t all know it.

            “Would you like some help?”  She asked, smiling at his efficiency.

            “No, no,” He assured her.  “Besides, if Ayako hears about you around on your leg like this, I’m going to be toast!”

            Mai laughed, and made a “psh” motion.  Yasu wasn’t so convinced.  The last time Mai had been hurt she’d gotten up a day later and over-extended herself, which made her back injury that much worse.  And Ayako had taken it out on him.  Suffice it to say he’d learned his lesson.

            “How about a cup of tea, though?”  He asked.  He held his breath, praying he hadn’t said something stupid.

            She smiled.  “Sure.”  She said, hobbling off to the kitchen in their lovely new office to make him a cup of green tea. 

            Yasu let out a quiet breath, relieved he hadn’t set one of those proverbial mines off.  He kept waiting for the day when the poor girl blew up, but so far she’d stayed remarkably calm.  The first week after “they” left, she’d been quiet and sullen and hadn’t wanted to eat or laugh or do much of anything.  He’d found himself worrying about her a lot, during that brief week.

            But as soon as it was over, she’d bounced back, happier and more carefree than before.  Or at least that was the front she put up.  She’d dived into school work, and when that hadn’t been enough of a distraction for her, she’d added in extra classes to fill her hours.  A few weeks after that she’d called everyone together and made her proposal to reopen SPR, but to run it themselves.  They didn’t refer to it as “Shibuya Psychic Research” anymore.  Nor did they allow others to call it a local branch of the British flagship.  No.  It was just SPR.

            Not a one of them doubted that something must have happened between Naru and Mai to leave her so despondent, but the shocking speed of her recovery and her enthusiasm for her new line of work had seemed to force such negativity from her life.  Yasu still wasn’t convinced that she was perfectly alright, but she’d yet to give any of them a reason to doubt it, either.  Surely her throwing herself into her work was an indication of that pain, but she seemed to enjoy herself in it, and none of them could deny the benefits they all found from it.  Their company ran more smoothly and Mai was a wiser, more seasoned ghost hunter for all of the knowledge she’d been soaking up.

            Bou-san had expressed concerns in the early days of their new operation that she could become too much like Naru, too obsessed in her line of work, denying all other forms of entertainment and joy.  But it hadn’t happened.  She’d spend many hours a day reading, sure, but it was often her idea on Fridays, if they weren’t on a case, to close the office early and everyone go out to dinner or a movie or something.

            Mai returned, two steaming mugs of green tea in her arms.  Yasu rushed over and took both from her and gently set them on their coasters on the coffee table.  “I can do it!”  She protested, as he snatched them away.

            “Yeah,” he teased, “but I actually want to drink my tea, not wear it!” 

            She scowled and continued hobbling her way over to the couch.  “I’ll get you back for that, Yasu, just you wait!”  She declared.

            He grinned.  “I’m looking forward to it!” 

            She picked up the closest book and tossed it at him.  He dodged it with a laugh.  Mai too, let out a quiet laugh, before she sank tiredly onto the couch. 

            Yasu continued to sort the books, watching with a smile as she gently drifted off to sleep.  Not for the first time, he had to wonder if the Great Oliver Davis knew just what kind of girl he’d left behind.  He hoped so, and he hoped that the stubborn young scientist got a chance to see it for himself one day.

 

* * *

 

            “Stop fidgeting!”  Ayako admonished, slapping her monk companion on the arm.

            “Sorry.”  He said.  It spoke a lot to his state of mind that he didn’t have any snappy comeback for the hotheaded priestess.  “I’m just confused…I don’t understand _why_ Lin would want to see us now.  Why after all this time?”

            Ayako shrugged.  “I don’t know either.” 

            “You think it has anything to do with what happened between Mai and Naru?”  He asked.  He could tell by her expression that he wasn’t the only one thinking along those lines.  He was wise enough not to put too much stock in that particular theory, but he found himself wishing that’s what it was.  Things had been…different, since the two men had left.  And not just for Mai.  They’d all had to find new ways of adapting, new roles, to make up for the changes that Lin and Oliver’s absence had caused.

            Mai was now the de facto leader of their small band of misfits, but Takigawa often saw himself and Ayako as the “adults” of the operation…even if they didn’t always behave like it.  John and Masako had become something of the voice of reason, and Yasu seemed to have stepped seamlessly into Mai’s old role.  On paper and to clients they operated like a well-oiled machine, but some days Takigawa wondered if they weren’t more like a puzzle still missing its last piece.  The picture still fit, but the hole left something to be desired.

            “There he is!”  Ayako breathed, starring off into the crowd.  Takigawa turned to look around to the door of the restaurant, and sure enough, there was the tall, dark-haired Lin.  And someone was with him.

            Takigawa raised his hand to get the onmiyouji’s attention.  Lin acknowledged the gesture with a brief nod, and then made his way over to their table, his guest in tow.

            “Ms. Matsuzaki, Mr. Takigawa.”  Lin greeted them.

            “Lin.”  Takigawa said, trying his best to sound polite.

            “May I introduce Mrs. Luella Davis, Oliver’s mother?”  He said, gesturing politely to the woman standing beside him.

            Whatever Takigawa had been expecting from his meeting with Lin, this particular development hadn’t even made the list.  A quick glance at Ayako told him she was just as stunned as he was.

            “Hello, Ma’am.”  He said politely, regaining his composure.  “Won’t you both join us?”

            “Thank you, you are too kind.”  Mrs. Davis replied in near-perfect Japanese.  Both she and Lin took a seat.

            A waitress came over to take the two newcomers’ orders.  Once they’d made their selections, Mrs. Davis took a deep breath and said:  “I’m sorry to come barging into your lives like this, Mr. Takigawa, Ms. Matsuzaki, but I’m afraid I have a rather large request to make of both of you and all of your associates at SPR.”

 

* * *

 

            “CUT!”  The director yelled.  Where once there had been unnatural silence, suddenly the stage was brimming with noise.  Masako Hara felt her shoulders slump as the exhaustion of her day’s shooting finally caught up with her.  She wanted nothing more than a good night’s sleep, and she almost imagined she’d get it, at least until one of crew came up and quietly informed her that she had a visitor.

            Tired, but too proud to ever show it, Masako stood erect and went to where her guest was waiting.  Out in the cool night air of the studio lot, she was surprised by the person she found waiting for her.

            “John?”  She called, amazed.

            He turned to her with an angelic smile, but it was tinted with a sadness that pierced her heart.

            “What is it?  What’s wrong?”  She demanded, rushing over to him.  “Who’s been hurt?!”

            “Calm down.”  He soothed.  “No one’s been hurt.  And it’s nothing life-threatening, either.  I’ve received an incredible offer today, and I think I’m going to take it.”

            “An offer?”  She questioned.

            “Yes.”  He said, beaming.  “You’ll never believe it!”

            Masako listened with a sinking heart to the truly magnanimous offer her coworker had received, and wondered why it was she didn’t feel happy for him?

           

 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

            Ayako Matsuzaki was willing to admit she was somewhat high-maintenance.  That was a given with her lifestyle, and although to some she’d come across as a very spoiled child, in reality she’d tried very hard not to have to ask her parents for anything.  Perhaps she’d been unconsciously saving up for this one favor. 

            Their hospital was prospering, and had been for quite some time.  Her parents had talked about expanding on numerous occasions, but they’d never done more than talk.  Ayako had never really been interested in the idea either, but then she’d met Luella and realized that her “old friend” Oliver Davis needed their help, whether or not he liked it.  And an expansion of this nature could only be to everyone’s benefit.  Or at least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

            Excepting those occasions when she was in a room with Takigawa (something about the long-haired monk just set her off) Ayako liked to consider herself as a fairly rational and sensible person.  That’s why she’d spent the last three days coming up with this proposition, doing all the work, making it as sound proof of a plan as she possibly could.  Actually, Takigawa had been surprisingly instrumental to her during this process.

            She’d never doubted his brain, sometimes she wondered if he could rival Naru.  And there had been a couple of times where she was almost _certain_ that he had.  But when he’d started offering (unasked for) insight into her plan, and once she’d (grudgingly) acknowledged that some of his ideas were fairly plausible, Ayako found that she was far better off than she had been alone.

            But her opinions of and feelings about the man known as Houshou Takigawa would have to wait for a better day.  Right now her friends needed her, and she couldn’t very well let them down.  Besides, she was tired of living in her parents’ shadows.  She wanted to take a leaf from Naru’s book and take a chance at doing her own thing. 

            Ayako took one final fortifying breath and entered her own personal lion den. 

* * *

 

 

            The car was speeding down the highway to a remote site near an ancient shrine.  Not that the kimono-clad passenger cared all that much.  She’d found herself more and more disenchanted with her life in the past couple of years, and although she could never bring herself to admit it out loud, she wasn’t one to lie to herself.  The appeal of fame and fortune wore off quickly enough, and being truly honest, she knew she’d been sick of it all for much longer than she’d known anyone from SPR.  She just hadn’t had the courage to tell anyone, to disappoint anyone.  She had to wonder if she had it now?

            Masako couldn’t believe it when she’d gotten the call from Takigawa and Ms. Matsuzaki the night before.  No sooner had she finished her unsettling talk with John that her phone had rang and she’d been bombarded with a nonsensical story about Lin and Oliver Davis’s mother.  Once she’d gleaned the actual purpose of their calling, she’d been shocked at the coincidences the two situations presented.

            Having lived with the unexplainable for much of her life, Masako was not above believing in such things as fate and destiny.  But until that moment she’d never really seen it work up close and personal.  Or, she supposed, if she had she’d not payed close enough attention.

            But now there was a force out there practically shouting it in the air, and she knew she’d be forced to pick a direction sooner or later.  She thought again of John’s breathless excitement, and wondered just which side she was supposed to take.  Duty…or friendship?  She felt ashamed at how difficult the decision actually was, because she knew that the others would make their choice with no hesitation.  And she knew that despite the direction her heart was shouting for her to take, her head would not listen.

           

* * *

 

            He woke with a gasp and sat up straight.  He glanced over at the blinking hotel clock that said 3:28 am and huffed in frustration.  This was the fourth night that Lin had the dream about Gene.  It was never precisely the same, but he never gleaned any new information from it either, and that frustrated the onmiyouji to no end.

            He’d considered telling Madoka about it, but he didn’t really know what he had seen himself, and he wasn’t sure how to put his feelings about it into words.  What did it mean?  Lin heard Gene’s plea again in his head.  “Come find me.”  And wondered what he was supposed to do.  Gene was gone, passed on, and yet…

            “No.”  He growled aloud.  They’d all been through enough pain where Gene was concerned.  Lin couldn’t allow his subconscious to trick him into delusions of hope any longer.  The idea that Gene was still out there was so preposterous it was…he didn’t even have words for how ridiculous it sounded.  Gene was gone, and they’d all finally begun to adjust to life without him.  He wouldn’t disturb that precarious balance on something as insubstantial as a dream.  He wasn’t Mai.  He didn’t have any skills in clairvoyance or pre-cognition.

            Besides, he had his own problems grounded in reality to deal with.  Namely, his charge and his girlfriend.  Though, admittedly, the second one was partially his fault.  He’d been stupid to think that his prejudiced family would behave any other way towards her.  They were never ones to hide their true feelings, so when push came to shove, he’d had to make a decision.  His family, or Madoka?

            In the heat of the moment, feeling the sting of their words himself, he’d sided with her without a thought’s hesitation.  His family still scorned him for that decision, but he knew there were still plenty of family members (his father most prominent among them) who believed their relationship would fail and he’d one day come crawling back to the fold.

            While he couldn’t leave that particular scenario out of the realm of possibility, he knew that the only way he’d ever even _consider_ going back was if Madoka left him or she died.  And it wasn’t just because of how much he loved her (though that was definitely the largest part of it), he also recognized that he no longer shared many of the values his family so cherished.  It was highly plausible that he’d never see any of them again, and although that hurt him, he understood that he was better off with people who truly appreciated others and worked to lift them up, rather than with his hate-mongering blood relatives who labored under delusions of grandeur and vied for pointless power.

            He had a lot of people to thank for his adjusted outlook on people, and Japanese in particular, on.  Gene and Noll, of course, and Mai, Takigawa, Masako, Yasuhara, Ayako and John had all played an important part.  And there was also Madoka.  Perfect, rambunctious, wild and cheerful Madoka.  But of all the people Lin felt he most owed his thanks to, the top of his list was Martin and Luella.  The two people who had practically forced him to alter his perceptions, without the onmiyouji even realizing they _had_ been altered.  If they hadn’t pleaded with him for the sake of their sons, he might never have realized how terrible his family was.  He might never have met Madoka.  And for those things alone, Lin was willing to give them the greatest share of his gratitude.

            That had been one of the stronger reasons he’d stuck around so long and dealt with all of Noll’s frustrating behavior and Gene’s youthful antics.  At least at first, he’d helped the two boys out of that sense of duty and gratitude.  Once he’d grown to know them even more, he’d realized he truly cared for them both.  When he learned of Gene’s death, his heart had nearly shattered in his chest.  It was Noll’s determination to find his brother’s body that had spurred him on, until they’d met Mai and the others.

            It wasn’t until he’d seen Takigawa and Ms. Matsuzaki sitting at that table a few nights ago that he’d realized just how important everyone he and Noll had met in Japan really were to both of them.  Lin couldn’t help but acknowledge how much lighter of a person Noll had seemed when he’d been in Japan, despite the dire circumstances of their being in the country in the first place.  But if he was honest with himself, he’d been freer too.  Perhaps not to such an obvious degree as Noll, but he knew himself well enough to know that he’d changed since they’d gone to Japan.

            The desperate tone in Luella’s voice as she made her plea for help from the monk and the shrine maiden had shocked him to his core.  He knew Luella was worried about Noll.  They were all worried about the stubborn young man, but he’d never heard her sound so…distressed before.  After they were done and he’d dropped Luella off at the airport for her flight back to England, he’d realized that he felt as helpless in this situation as he had when Gene had died.  Lin didn’t want to lose Noll either, and so when Luella had outlined her plan to him, he’d agreed readily enough.  He had a feeling everyone would.  Well, everyone except Noll.  And perhaps Mai, now that he considered the changes she’d apparently undergone in their absence.

            To say he was impressed with the young woman was an understatement, and he agreed with Takigawa’s suspicion that something must have happened between Mai and Noll to cause both of their current moods.  He’d tried to talk to Oliver about it on the plane back to England, and on several occasions since, but Oliver refused to speak.

            Lin had always believed that Mai had a good heart.  He had to trust that it would push her in the right direction, when she finally learned of Luella’s offer.  He couldn’t ignore the possibility that she’d refuse, and he knew that she had every right to do so, but he also held out hope that her new duties wouldn’t stop her from helping someone so obviously important to her as Naru.

           

* * *

 

            Father John Brown sat on his small cot in the parish he’d been staying in, and looked again at the envelope containing the news that could change his life forever.  A chance to go to England, to be so much closer to the heart of his faith.  It was something he’d always wanted, a chance to do more for people.  He wasn’t ambitious, per say, but he did feel that he had a lot to offer, and he’d always wanted to visit some of the cathedrals in England.  Salisbury, Westminster…the thought of one of his dearest wishes coming true set his pulse racing with anticipated delight.

            But then he remembered the sadness in Masako’s eyes when he’d told her the news, and he felt that twinge of regret.  He had made an official decision yet, anyway.  There was still plenty of time to change his mind. 

            Sure, he wanted to go to England, but he loved Japan too.  Loved the culture and the people and the customs, loved working with SPR and all of the amazing people he’d met while he’d been here.  So yes, he could fulfill one of his childhood dreams, but he’d be paying a heavy price for it, and he knew it.

            He couldn’t shake the look in Masako’s eyes.  He relied on everyone in SPR, and he had a bond with everyone, but he always felt like he shared the most in common with Masako, because at the end of the day, she seemed to understand him, and although she didn’t always tell him, he knew that she respected what he did just as much as he respected her for her talents. 

            Being a priest, he’d forgone the ideal of love and family in the name of faith, and he didn’t regret that choice.  He knew he had feelings for the young kimono-wearing medium, but he didn’t believe them to be entirely romantic in nature, and he doubted that she considered him to be anything more than a close friend or coworker.  But that didn’t sooth the ache in his chest when he considered that going to England would mean leaving all of this behind, not just Masako, but everyone at SPR, Japan itself even.  He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

 

 

* * *

 

            They were talking about her, she knew it.  Something about the way they all looked at her when the saw her, the knowing looks they gave each other.  Mai felt decidedly out of the loop.  It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and it irritated her in a way very little else could.

            She knew they’d been talking about her for a while.  Since the day that _Oliver Davis_ and Lin had left for England.  She’d heard their concern, and she was glad for it.  But sometimes she felt they worried too much. 

            The first few days had been rough, she’d been devastated after he’d said “Me, or Gene?”  And then he left as if she’d already given him her answer.  The pain of the rejection was perhaps the hardest she’d faced in her entire life, excepting the death of her mom and dad.  And for a time she’d been swallowed up by it.

            But then Gene had come into her dreams one night, and he’d explained to her that she couldn’t let the pain of the past rule her, and that _Oliver_ was an idiot for not understanding where she was coming from.  She’d admitted to her love’s dead twin that she wasn’t sure how to feel anymore, because all she felt was pain.  Gene had comforted her, and told her to find something to distract herself from that pain.  And then, he’d said goodbye.

            She’d known it was coming, of course.  For all she knew, everything he needed to see had been done, his body had been brought home to England, and his brother was safe and sound there too.  She’d said goodbye with as bright a smile as she could muster.  But then Gene had thrown her for a loop when he’d replied “No, I’ll see you soon.”  Her immediate thought had been that perhaps she was meant to die sometime soon and she’d join him in the realm of spirits, but he’d assured her that wasn’t it, and then he was gone.

            The whole encounter left her with far more questions than it did answers, but as the days passed and she’d filled her waking hours with various distractions, she’d allowed the strange dream to fade from her mind.  It still popped up from time to time, but she had no other clues to its meaning, and so it quickly faded back away again.

            When she’d first considered what kind of things she’d like to do to distract herself, the first thing that popped into her mind was paranormal research, and despite her feelings for Oliver Davis, she had to admit that she’d loved her job.  But she’d also had to acknowledge that she didn’t really know that much beyond what the others had explained to her, and she didn’t want to stay ignorant forever.

            Once business had started booming again and she allowed herself a somewhat larger salary, she began using all the excess money she had to buy books on any topics that she knew could be useful to her new chosen field.  Parapsychology was a given, but she’d also added some books on religion, regular psychology, and even architecture.  After only a couple of books she’d recognized the connection of hauntings and the buildings they often happened in, and she wondered if understanding more about architecture itself might be beneficial to her.  If nothing else, she found she enjoyed the subject.

            Between her school work, extra reading and regular full-time job for SPR, Mai barely had time to sleep.  She preferred it that way, though.  She didn’t allow her mind to wander anymore, and she didn’t allow herself to hold onto painful delusions that she knew could never come true. 

            There was a place in her heart that whispered that she would see _Oliver_ again, and although she wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to or not, she knew that if she ever did, she wanted to show him just what he’d helped to build.  And she meant that, not in a nasty or sarcastic way, but in a genuinely truthful and honest moment of gratitude.  Sure, he had hurt her, but he’d also pushed her to try something new, and his leaving had pushed her even further.  She couldn’t help but thank him for that, all of her other feelings aside.

            “Mai!”  Yasu called out from their gathering space.  “Let’s go or we’ll be late for class!”

            She grabbed her backpack and coat and said “Coming!” 

            No, she wasn’t the same little girl that had been in love with _Naru_.  That was the whole point.  And she was pleased with the changes she saw in herself.  She was finally _happy_.

 

           

           

           


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

            Luella Davis sank into her favorite arm chair in the living room and sighed.  It had been a very long weekend.  She heard the sound of Martin’s car out in the drive and allowed herself a small smile.  It had been a very narrow thing, her getting back from the airport before Martin and Noll and Madoka returned.  She’d had to call Martin to stall her son just a little bit longer.

            The door banged open and her son and husband came trooping through the door.  She instantly sat up and tried to look as if she hadn’t been gone all weekend.  “How was the case, dear?”  She asked Noll.

            She received a grunt in place of a proper reply.  He then went straight up the stairs to the study and she heard the distinct echo of his study door slamming shut.

            “That bad?”  She asked of Martin.  He sighed and nodded.

            Madoka entered a moment later looking despondent and tired.  She sank wearily into one of the other armchairs and Martin settled onto the couch.  “It was a train wreck.”  Madoka complained with a groan.

            “What happened?”  Luella asked, surprised.  From everything Martin had said, this seemed to be a wonderful case for Noll to get back into investigating with.

            “Let’s just say the client wasn’t entirely honest with us about what all had been happening at his hotel.”  Madoka said.

            “He neglected to inform us that his hotel was in complete disrepair and apparently some of his employees took advantage of that fact to perpetrate the idea that the place was haunted.”  Martin explained.

            “Ah.”  Luella said.  “So nothing paranormal to speak of then.”  Madoka and Martin both nodded.  No wonder Noll was in such a bad mood.  She’d have to try even harder to get him back to his old self now.

            “How did everything go?”  Madoka asked quietly, not moving from her position on the couch.

            Luella allowed herself a small smile.  “Successfully, for the most part.  Almost everyone agreed, though no one has brought up our offer to our young psychic friend yet.”  She was careful not to give anything away.  Noll was upstairs, but the house staff was still around, and she didn’t want to risk him finding anything out about her plans until the time was right.

            “Any indication…?”  Madoka asked, stopping before she used any suggestive pronouns. 

            “No.”  Luella sighed.  “No indication of which way our friend will choose to go.”

            Madoka just nodded and settled back into the couch.  Martin too sat back.  Luella wanted to join them, but she’d been gone all weekend and there was a long list of things she needed to get done yet.  She rose and went into the kitchen to see about dinner.

 

* * *

 

            Yasuhara clutched the envelope with the package of information to his chest like it was the Holy Grail itself.  His mother was going to be beside herself with excitement.  Heck, he was beside himself with excitement.

            He’d wanted to run and tell Mai, but Ayako and Monk had ordered him to stay completely silent on the subject until they had a chance to tell her themselves.  But oh was that going to be hard for the young man.  So very hard. 

            Yasu had to wonder how they were going to break the news to the poor girl.  He couldn’t imagine it was going to be a pleasant conversation.  Especially when she realized that everyone was on board and willing to go.  The young man had a feeling she wouldn’t be quite so eager.  Sure, it was an incredible opportunity, and that alone might be enough to sway her, but there was still the issue of whatever had happened between _Naru_ and herself. 

            He’d put all of his considerable investigative skill into figuring out just what that had been, but the girl was too wise to his tricks, and he’d come away empty-handed every time.  Still, he had his suspicions, and he was willing to bet his latest paycheck that whatever had happened between the two, it had something to do with Mai’s feelings for _Naru._ Yasu guessed that Mai had confessed and he’d rejected her, but from what Lin had apparently told Takigawa and Ayako, Oliver Davis was not his usual self and hadn’t been since they’d returned from Japan.  That put a dent in his rejection theory, but he didn’t discount it completely.

            Yasu entered the gate to his house and put away his theories about Mai and Oliver Davis.  “Mom!”  He yelled.  “You’re never going to believe what came in the mail!” 

 

* * *

 

            “We need to tell her soon.”  Ayako said, sitting down beside Takigawa.

            He nodded.  “I know.”  He admitted.  “I just don’t know how.”

            Ayako sympathized.  She didn’t know how to breach the subject with the young woman either.  She only knew that they needed to do it soon, or there was a very real possibility that Mai might never forgive them for this seeming betrayal.

            “Maybe we could have Lin deliver it to her?”  He asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Ayako was shaking her head.

            “I think that if we’re going to tell her, we need to make this as little about Oliver Davis as possible.  If we tell her that I got the chance to open the hospital there and that you’ve decided to go with me, she may feel better about it.”

            “How do we explain that Masako, John, and Yasu are all coming too, though?”  He demanded.

            She shrugged.  “We don’t tell her until we get to the airport?  Make it seem like they decided to come because they didn’t want to be here without her?”  She suggested.

            Monk scrubbed his eyes tired.  “That could work.”  He agreed.  “But I’d still feel terrible for lying to her about it.”

            Ayako nodded.  “I know.  Me too.  But this is the only thing I can think of, and we’re running out of time.”

            “What about SPR?  You know she’s not going to leave it willingly.  She loves that place.”

            Ayako sighed.  “We’ll tell her we’re just going on a hiatus, and that the office will still be there when we get back.”

            Takigawa shook his head.  “She won’t fall for that.”

            Ayako groaned in frustration.  “Alright, we tell her she’s got to come or else I’ll withdraw all of the money I invested and Masako will take back all of her equipment!” 

            Monk winced at the threat, but he couldn’t deny that it would probably be effective.  “Okay.”  He said after a while.  “We’ll try to reason with her first, and if that doesn’t work, you can tell her you’ll withdraw your money and Masako will take back her equipment.” 

            Ayako could tell how terrible Takigawa felt about the whole thing.  She felt the same way.  But she also knew that they were doing this _because_ they cared about Mai.  And maybe Mai would hate them all for this, but Ayako still believed that this was the best possible course for the young woman.  She hoped that Mai was smart enough to realize that too.

            “So when do you want to tell her?”  Takigawa asked.

            Ayako shrugged.  “Tomorrow morning?”

            Honestly it didn’t much matter.  “Alright.”  He agreed.

 

* * *

 

            Madoka Mori was finally back in the comfort of her apartment.  She’d just laid on the bed and was seriously considering going to sleep right then and there when the phone rang.  There was only one person who’d call her this late, so she wasn’t surprised to pick up the phone and hear Lin’s deep voice on the other side.

            “How’d the case go?”  He asked.

            She groaned and told him about the whole mess.

            “I imagine Naru isn’t taking it well.”  He guessed.

            “No.”  Madoka admitted.  “Luella’s been beside herself trying to figure out what to do to draw him out again.  She’s worried he’ll reject another case if they give it to him now.”

            Lin sighed.  It wasn’t impossible.  If Noll honestly felt like he’d been set up, then there was a very high chance he would refuse any offer of a case for quite a while.

            “How are things going in Japan?” She asked.

            “Well enough.  Takigawa called and said that they were planning on telling Mai tomorrow morning, so we should know for sure by then if she’ll agree or not.”

            “This whole thing practically depends on her.”  Madoka moaned.

            “I know.”  He said, sighing.

            “How much of a chance is there of her _not_ accepting?”  Madoka asked.

            Lin was quiet for a long moment, and then he said “From everything they’ve told me, Mai’s moved on.  In a lot of ways.  Frankly, I can’t say she will accept.  She certainly doesn’t have to.”

            “But everyone else from SPR has already agreed, right?  Once she finds that out, she’ll practically be forced to come here, or else she’ll be on her own again.”  Madoka said.

            “Takigawa told me they weren’t going to tell her about everyone else yet.  They don’t want her to feel betrayed or coerced.  So if she accepts they’ll tell her at the airport. If the peaceful route fails and she refuses, they’re going to resort to a more forceful tactic.  Apparently Ms. Matsuzaki is planning on threatening to withdraw her financial support, and they’ve talked Miss Hara into taking back all of her equipment.”

            “They’re planning on threatening her?”  Madoka cried, indignant.

            Lin winced at her volume.  “If she doesn’t agree, yes.”

            “That’s…terrible.”  Madoka said.

            Lin agreed, but he knew that the monk and shrine maiden would only do it as a last resort and only because they truly cared for her.  He told Madoka as much, and it seemed to sooth her somewhat.

            “So, what’s going to happen once she’s here?  From everything you’ve told me, Noll is the last person on the planet she wants to be around right now.”

            “I don’t know.”  Lin admitted.  “I think Luella’s planning to ease them together, but I have a feeling it’s not going to work out like she hopes.  There appears to be some animosity between the two, based on Mai’s recent behavior, and I don’t know if they’ll be able to work past it.  Noll is emotionally dense and Mai is stubborn.  It isn’t the best situation for either of them to be in to try to communicate.”

            Madoka snorted.  “Sounds familiar.”  She replied.

            Lin smiled a little at that.  “Am I the emotionally dense one…or the stubborn one?”  He asked.

            Madoka laughed softly.  It set an ache in Lin’s chest. “I miss you.”  She said softly.

            “I miss you too.  But I’ll be home soon, don’t worry.”  He appeased.

            "That’s what you said when you went with Noll to Japan the first time.”  She muttered.  Madoka was being childish, and she knew it, but she was tired of her boyfriend hopping off all over the world and leaving her behind.

            “This isn’t like that.”  Lin assured her.  Again the thought crossed his mind to tell Madoka about his strange dream, but he still wasn’t sure what it all meant.  He stayed silent.

            “The next time you decide to go traipsing off all over the world, you’re bringing me with you.”  She declared. 

            “You love it in England.”  He reminded her.

            “I love Japan too.”  She shot back.

            He sighed and conceded defeat.  “Fine.  Next time I’m leaving the country I swear I’ll take you with me.”

            Madoka laughed.  “Victory!”  She bragged.

            Lin shook his head, but he was smiling.  “Go to sleep, Madoka.  It’s got to be past 11 there and I know you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”

            “Fine.”  She grumbled.  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”  She added, not bothering to disguise the longing in her voice.

            Lin’s chest ached again.  God how he missed her.  “Talk to you tomorrow, Madoka.  Goodnight.”

            “’Night.”  She agreed.

            The words “I love you” were embedded in their farewell.  Lin didn’t say it often, but Madoka didn’t mind.  He’d proved he loved her often enough, and even if he didn’t always say those exact words, she knew he always implied them.  She fell asleep easily and dreamed of a day when she didn’t have to wake up to a cold and lonely bed.

 

* * *

 

            Bou-san and Ayako were already at the office when Mai arrived the next morning.  She felt the tension in the air as soon as she opened the door.  The blond man and the red-headed woman were already sitting in the common room, three cups of tea set out on the table.

            Both of them turned to look at her when she entered.  Monk’s eyes were rimmed in dark red, and Ayako had dark bags under her eyes.  Mai felt her heart constrict in fear.  Something terrible must have happened.

            “Mai, can you come here?  There’s something we need to discuss with you.”  Ayako said softly.

            Mai hung up her coat and went and joined them in the sitting area.  “What is it?”  She asked, afraid.

            “Calm down, Mai.  It’s nothing bad.”  Monk assured her, though he didn’t seem quite so certain himself.

            “What is it?”  Mai asked again.

            Ayako and Monk looked at each other for a moment and then Ayako gestured for him to explain it to her.  Monk nodded.  “Ayako and I are moving.  And we’d like for you to move with us.”

 


End file.
